Brisbane TimesAnother stretch of Riverside Drive is set to become parkland according to an announcement from Environment, Parks and sustainability chairman Cr Matthew Bourke on Friday afternoon.

The move is a part of the Kurilpa Riverfront Renewal, which will see Riverside Drive completely reclaimed as parkland over the next twenty years.

The entrance from Victoria Street will be closed to motorists starting January 5 and various traffic fencing wil be removed to allow pedestrians and cyclists safer access through West End.

"What we are going to do is close the section between Victoria Street and Davies Park, like we have done with the other section and make it more pedestrian and cycle-friendly," Cr Bourke said.

Early next year the area will be revamped with park seats, health equipment and landscaping, while the road will be marked as a cycleway allowing continued access along the existing route.

At present this stretch of road is mainly used for parking during the Davies Park Markets, and there's been no announcements as to what alternative arrangements might be made, however the Kurilpa Bridge end of Riverside Drive is remaning open, and there's plenty of other bicycle and bus access to the markets.

The Kurilpa plan will eventually see a doubling of the amount of public space for the community and the draft plans include a new, one hectare riverfront park.

Ride for Life Challenge - Sunday 12

Brisbane’s cycling community will take up the challenge for charity in the fifth annual Ride for Life Challenge this Sunday 12 October 2014.

The non-competitive cycling event will see about 1000 cyclists don their Ride for Life lycra to complete an 84km route around Brisbane, starting and finishing at Hamilton’s Northshore Riverside Park and winding through Brisbane’s bayside.

Online registrations for the 2014 Ride For Life Challenge have closed, but manual registrations can be still be completed with kit cat the registration tent, and kit collection available at Brisbane BMW until Saturday.

Ride2Work Day - Wednesday 15

Whether you're a brand new rider or a seasoned cycling veteran, national Ride2Work day is about celebrating and promoting the fit and fun practice of cycling to work.

In Brisbane, Bicycle Queensland is hosting a free breakfast at the Law Courts Plaza from 7 till 8.30 am thanks to the support from Australian Bananas, Bakers Delight, Brisbane City Council and The Coffee Club. There's other events around south-east Queensland, so get on your bike this Wednesday 15 October. Oh, and don't forget to register.

Pedal Brisbane - November 29

Following a hugely successful 2013 event, Pedal Brisbane is set to reappear in November 2014 this time in partnership with Queensland Museum. Pedal is an exhibition and event celebrating and promoting cycling in Brisbane through photography, film, talks and initiatives associated with cycling in a fun, positive way.

The one day and one night main event is set to take place on 29 November 2014, and followed by monthly group rides, outdoor film screenings, and talks. They're calling for volunteers, if you'd like to be a part of the event.

New Riverwalk opened

The new Riverwalk was opened on 21 September 2014, with thousands of people showing up for the official opening.

The new Riverwalk has a segregated bike & pedestrian design which makes it a perfect bicycle commuting route, as well as a safe pedestrian space. It's expected to see 3000 commuters daily.

CityCycle “bonus stations”

JCDecaux in conjunction with Brisbane City Council have announced a new CityCycle scheme called “bonus stations” where depositing a bike at certain stations around the network can earn you minutes toward longer rides.

It sounds like it might be a way to help balance the load of the network, although the perks don't seem especially enticing unless you're finding yourself regularly going over the time limit.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk announced that having secured funding from the federal and state governments, the iconic Riverwalk linking New Farm to Brisbane City will start construction be completed next year.

In its time before being washed downstream in the devastating 2011 floods, the original Riverwalk hosted more than 3,000 cyclists, pedestrians and runners on a daily basis, making it one of the most popular links within Brisbane.

It was an iconic feature of the city, and the completion of these works will help bring it back bigger and better than ever.

The main focuses of the reconstruction project are cost and sturdiness, with the previous floating walkway costing $650,000 annually to maintain. The new construction will see a fixed walkway constructed 3.4 metres above the mean sea level and follow a similar route to the previous structure which will also have a significantly lower maintenance cost, and is expected to be able to survive a one-in-2000 year flood.

When the walkway is completed in mid 2014 it will fill a great hole left by the destruction of the previous bridge, and will make an excellent piece of infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and tourists alike.

The Brisbane City Council recently announced the mangrove walk at Gardens Point will be removed instead of repaired after being damaged by storms earlier this year.

The mangrove walk was a part of the botanic gardens, and let pedestrians walk through the mangroves and learn about the ecosystem. The boardwalk was damaged in the Australia Day weekend storms and subsequently deemed unsafe for use.

At an estimated $1.8 million to replace, the council has has decided to remove the 380 metre boardwalk within the next few months.

Are you looking for a challenge, or just want an excuse to get on your bike? Why not check out Bike Week, a week-long celebration of all things cycling in Brisbane.

Bike Week is an annual cycling festival organised by Bicycle Queensland, who pedal the message of getting more people cycling more often. We aim to encourage people of all ages, sizes, abilities and levels of fitness to get into the saddle by offering a variety of events during the week.

These include introductory activities to entice people who may not have ridden for years back on to bikes; a chance for recreational riders to try something new or improve their skills on two wheels; an opportunity for serious riders to challenge themselves; and even events that don’t involve bike riding.

Bicycle Queensland has released maps for the 2013 events, which includes the 10 km Family Fun Ride through the city botanic gardens and the BDO Coot-tha Challenge.

Since Australia Day, Brisbane and Southeast Queensland have been droped into an escalating weather crisis. The tail end of ex-tropical cyclone Oswald has delivered strong winds and rain across the region bringing high tides, wind damage and flooding to the area.

The unfortunate conditions mean the Brisbane River is projected to flood. While this event isn't expected to be as severe as the 2011 floods, it's certainly reminiscent of the event that submerged parts of the city for several days and a number of evacuations have been made in preparation.

Ferries around the city have been shut down, and a number of pedestrian and cycle spaces have already been submerged in the CBD and surrounding areas. Most of the train services have also been interrupted by flooding and wind damage alike.

Flooded Bikeways

A lot of Brisbane's bikeways run adjacent to creeks, streams and low lying areas which means they frequently get flooded out with heavy rain. These strong weather conditions have brought dangerous currents and debris down creeks and streams, and the strong tides have inundated a number of costal areas.

Much of the dedicated bike infrastructure is either flooded or strewn with debris so it's advisable that if you do need to get out, take the high road rather than the bikeway since it's less likely to present an obstacle.

Briscane council has closed bikeways and paths through the botanic gardens and various parts of the city pending inspection and repairs, so stay out of the way.

What to do

It's the official policy of Briscycle that people should stay at home and read a book during disasters like this. Of course that's not always possible, so if you have to go out in it make sure to keep out of the water and stay safe.

For further coverage and information on what you can do, check out the Brisbane Times' excellent live coverage.

Don't have the tools to fix your bike? Pop down to South Bank and check out one of the two free Community Bike Repair Stations.

Hidden in plain sight, these two stations have been helping locals perform maintenance since 2011. The first station is located at the southern end of Little Stanley Street, and the second is on Clem Jones Promenade near the Wheel of Brisbane, right beside the water.

The stations each feature a pump, spanner, screwdriver, tyre lever and other tools helpful for performing basic maintenance when you're out and about.

Sponsored by Graceville Bike Hub and South Bank corporation, these are a great addition to the city. Definitely check them out next time you're rolling past.

Work is continuing on the Moreton Bay Cycleway, with the local council starting work on the next phase of the Gateway North Bikeway project.

What's happening?

The upgrades will add a key component to the Moreton Bay Cycleway, improving conditions and accessibility to the local network for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

The project involves building a 138 metre pedestrian and cycle bridge over Shulz Canal, adjacent to the existing but narrow bridge servicing Nudgee Road. Looped access ramps will provide access to three sides of Nudgee Road, and a pedestrian island will service the fourth.

The upgrades also include a proposed path to connect to the as-yet non-existent Brisbane Airport cycle network, but it's conceivable this will eventually let you cycle to DFO via Airport Drive.

Some Opinion

This is a welcome addition to the Moreton Bay Cycleway, as the existing Nudgee Road bridge is difficult to traverse, and dangerous to ride on-road.

While this won't necessarily aid commuters who may be reluctant to take such a large detour (including a dismount to cross the pedestrian crossing when heading south), the access from the Moreton Bay Cycleway is certainly a very welcome change from the existing gravelled bush trek.

Unfortunately Nudgee Road remains a cycling black hole. The immediate road to the south of this infrastructure has no bike lanes and leads straight into a massive intersection with inadequate cycle infrastructure. Further south the road shoulder is frequently full of parked cars, and perforated by gardens under the guise of traffic calming, so there's quite a bit wrong with the remaining route.

More MBC

Here at Briscycle HQ, we would have preferred to see the existing (admittedly narrow) pedestrian bridge recycled if it saved funds for proper bicycle infrastructure further to the south. That said, we're definitely glad to see the connection to the Moreton Bay Cyleway and can't wait to take it for a spin.

Edit: Some more poking around reveals the the Department of Transport and Main Roads want to ultimately build a cycleway from Shulz Canal to Lamington Avenue adjacent to Southern Cross Drive which would negate most of these comments. That said, these plans are still several years away and considering the recent funding cuts may not eventuate at all.